PlanetSide 2's Higby talks member benefits, pay-to-win

PlanetSide 2 creative director Matt Higby took to the official forums recently to address concerns about potential pay-to-win aspects of the title's monetization scheme. "As much as I want to give you the definitive answer that PlanetSide 2 is not pay-to-win, it turns out it's actually a fairly personal question and people define what exactly pay-to-win is in their own way," Higby wrote.

He also went into details about the nature of the cash shop, saying that PS2 will not restrict characters from any type of gameplay based on paying money. "No weapon, vehicle, attachment, continent, class, or certification is unavailable to you as a free player. Everything and anything that can affect gameplay is available to unlock through gameplay."

Higby also spent some time discussing what SOE will sell (cosmetics and advancement-related convenience booster items) as well as the state of the game's membership benefits. Currently SOE plans on members receiving offline certification points, 50% XP and resource boosts, increased resource pool caps, and priority login preference.